SAN FRANCISCO / Questions mount for Sunset supervisor

Wyatt Buchanan, Robert Selna, Chronicle Staff Writers

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, May 20, 2007

Photo: Frederic Larson

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SF's newest supervisor Ed Jew surrounded by his supporters during a brief swearing in ceremony by the SF mayor Gevin Newsom at City Hall. Ed plans to bring his populist style of activism to City Hall for the benefit of the city's District 4 residents. 12/6/06
{Photographed by Frederic Larson} SF's newest supervisor Ed Jew surrounded by his supporters during a brief swearing in ceremony by the SF mayor Gevin Newsom at City Hall. Ed plans to bring his populist style of activism to City Hall for the benefit of the city's District 4 residents. 12/6/06
{Photographed by Frederic Larson} MANDATORY CREDIT FOR AND SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/NO SALES-MAGS OUT less

SF's newest supervisor Ed Jew surrounded by his supporters during a brief swearing in ceremony by the SF mayor Gevin Newsom at City Hall. Ed plans to bring his populist style of activism to City Hall for the ... more

Photo: Frederic Larson

SAN FRANCISCO / Questions mount for Sunset supervisor

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San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew, the target of an FBI investigation into $40,000 he said he accepted from businessmen facing city permit problems, received a vote of confidence Saturday from supporters who say he is a man of character.

But within hours of the criminal investigation exploding into the public eye when FBI agents served a search warrant at Jew's City Hall office, the supervisor is facing new questions about whether he actually lives in the district he represents, as is required to hold office.

Jew, who represents District 4 encompassing the Sunset District, registered to vote at -- and listed with the clerk of the Board of Supervisors as his official residence -- a home in the 2400 block of 28th Avenue.

But a neighbor on the street said Saturday that no one has lived in the split-level home with peeling paint for the past three years.

"Up until about a year ago, you could see into the home and there was no furniture. About a year ago, they put curtains up," said Mary Kate Fitzsimon, who lives directly across the street. In fact, Fitzsimon tells her guests to park in the driveway of Jew's house and the street space out front.

Jew, who said Saturday he has hired legal counsel to represent him in the criminal probe, did not address questions about the investigation or his actual residence.

"I said quite a bit yesterday. My attorney will be coming up with a public statement in the next couple of days," said Jew, just before appearing at an event for Chinese youth at Lincoln High School in the Sunset District.

Jew's wife and young daughter live in a home in Burlingame, according to neighbors on the street there, but Jew is said to be an infrequent resident.

"He comes for a visit about once a month. Otherwise, I never see him," said Val Yesihar, who lives next door to the Burlingame home.

One of Jew's City Hall aides, Barbara Meskunas, said her boss lives in the Sunset District, though she has never been to his home.

Meskunas said she was out of town Friday when federal agents searched Jew's office and said the supervisor has an exemplary and fiercely independent character.

"We have to trust in his character and that's exactly what I'm going to do," she said.

Meskunas works closely with Jew at City Hall and said that each week, he sits and contemplates legislation before the board and then decides whether he thinks it is in the best interest of San Francisco.

"He doesn't like to cut deals and line up votes ahead of time like the other guys do, and some people have a problem with that," Meskunas said, referring to Jew's souring relations with other members of the board since he was sworn into his first term in January. "It doesn't matter what the mayor thinks, what the rest of the board thinks, what anyone thinks."

Jew often is the lone dissenting vote on legislation, such as a Treasure Island development plan, a proposal to protect trees for the wild parrots living on Telegraph Hill, the ban on plastic grocery bags, and a major residential development at Ninth and Market streets.

Some at City Hall refer to Jew as "Supervisor No."

It was a dramatic scene at City Hall Friday as FBI agents armed with search warrants descended on the supervisor's legislative office. They also searched homes in San Francisco and Burlingame and his Chinatown flower shop.

Jew told The Chronicle Friday he believed the search resulted from a $40,000 cash payment he received from two men who sought his help with city permit problems for fast food restaurants.

Jew said he had referred the men to a political consultant he knew, Robert Chan of Bridgeway Consulting, but the men later showed up at his flower shop insisting on paying him $40,000 in cash that Jew said was meant for Chan.

Jew said he believed the men told the FBI that Jew had pressured them into hiring Chan.

Chan has not returned messages seeking comment.

News of the investigation wasn't causing some of Jew's backers to waver in their support Saturday.

"He is known as a person with integrity in the community; there have never been any questions about him," DeNunzio said.

It was Jew's reputation in the community -- and the dynamics of San Francisco's ranked-choice voting -- that got him elected, as he was not considered a front-runner in the race against candidates with broader name recognition.

He was outspoken and steadfast on issues important in his district, such as school choice and water and sewer rate increases, said David Lee, executive director of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee and a political science instructor at San Francisco State University.

Lee said people in the Chinese American community are waiting to make a judgment about Jew's current legal problems.

Several of Jew's colleagues on the board said his first five months have been characterized by his conservative stances on many issues in front of the supervisors.

"He is staking out a position as a contrarian and it's going to bring him recognition and enthusiastic support," said Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who has clashed with Jew over affordable housing issues. "He tends to be on the 'one' side of 10-to-1 votes frequently, but it has not seemed to rattle him in any way."